Athena's Story

Part 22: "I'm coming over, kiddo"

Upon returning home, Athena threw herself into marketing at her father's company for the coming festive season as if her life depended on it. She did her job well, with the vigor of a college graduate and this made her parents happy.

Thanksgiving and Christmas came and went and Kourikopolis Enterprises made a healthy profit. But Athena's heart was still mending and she found it hard to actually celebrate. In fact, on Christmas Eve, she had received another piercing arrow through the heart.

She'd phoned George's number in London only to speak to Martha, the housekeeper. It had taken her the whole week to gather up enough courage to call him and he hadn't been there.

"He's gone for a walk with Belinda, I'm afraid," she was told.

"Oh. Well then just tell them I said Merry Christmas and season's greetings, please."

"Of course, whom shall I say phoned?"

Athena was tempted to hang up without speaking but she finally left her name and rang off. After she put the phone down, she'd berated herself.

She should have known that George would be with Belinda. At that point she resolutely decided that she would try a bit harder to get over the handsome inspector George Duvall. The memory of his beautiful body and English charm. And his kisses.

She tried her best to do that. She visited family and spent a lot of time with her college mate Taz, who flew in from California for the holiday. Then on New Year's Eve, she bumped into the former British ambassador to France, George's uncle, on her way out of a social gathering. She was heading for another party, where Taz was going to meet her, but she stopped to say hello. She hadn't had much of a choice when he called out her name.

"Athena Kourikopolis!"

She stopped dead in her tracks. "Ambassador Duvall, how nice to see you! Does this mean you've shifted posts already?"

She almost asked if George had come too. She physically bit her tongue from voicing her curiosity.

"Call me Theodore, please! No. This is an unofficial visit. Clarence is American, I'm sure I mentioned it?"

"Yes, you did." Pause. "How is George?"

"Don't you know? I thought you two were good friends. Close friends."

"Haven't spoken to him since leaving Europe," she said truthfully.

Duvall frowned in his surprise, but it vanished a moment later. He moved on, "Please do say you'll have tea with me before I go back. I can bring you up to speed with everything and I hope you'll do the same."

"I would love to," she assured him, giving him her card. She noticed that he hadn't answered her question and she wondered if that was because things weren't well. She tried not to think like that. She tried very hard not to think of him at all.

Theodore pocketed the card with a smile. "Splendid. Happy New Year."

'Happy' wasn't the word she would have used but she did manage to enjoy herself with her former university confidante.

µ ®Ç²A À n _